


You And I Were Meant To Be

by tigerpip



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-11-21 22:31:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/602797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigerpip/pseuds/tigerpip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He wasn't sure what made him invite Zayn in, maybe it was the wide eyed, vulnerable look he had about him.<br/>Later he knew. It was fate. Liam was sure of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You And I Were Meant To Be

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a drabble for the 1d100 comm on lj but I kind of got carried away and ended up writing a lot more than 100 words. Halfway through I got a bit distracted and the style is all over the place. But the end is ridiculously fluffy and self-indulgent.

Liam found Zayn one February, as he was coming home from work. The older boy was outside his apartment complex, a cardboard box clutched in his arms and a duffel slung over his shoulder. 

He wasn't sure what made him invite Zayn in, maybe it was the wide eyed, vulnerable look he had about him.

'Bit heartless, wasn't it? Kicking you out on Valentine's Day.' Liam had said.

'What?'

Zayn didn't seem to have realised the date.

'Stay with me,' Liam suggested. He didn't know why, he had never been a fan of spontaneity. He was glad he did though.

 

***

 

Six years later, they were still flatmates. But now it was so much more than that. Zayn was funny, Liam found out. He could reduce Liam to tears of laughter with just one word. And he was beautiful. Maybe that's what had made Liam invite him into his flat, invite him into his life. But he liked to think he wasn't that shallow, that there was a reason Zayn had been standing outside the complex that Valentine's Day. Fate, or something like that.

Zayn didn't believe in fate, but he believed in love. He had thought he loved Harry, but he'd been wrong. What he'd felt for Harry was nothing compared to how he felt about Liam.

Liam was kind, that much had been obvious from the very beginning. The way he'd welcomed Zayn into life was the perfect example. But more than that, he was caring. He would always put others before himself, willing to do anything he could for the people close to him.

Maybe that was what Zayn loved the most about him. Then again, there were so many things to love about Liam. He wasn't one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but Liam always seemed to know when he was angry or upset, and was always able to coax it out of him, no matter how much Zayn wanted to keep it to himself. He never made him feel silly or pathetic talking about his problems. Liam always made him feel like he was the most important thing in the world, that nothing else mattered but him.

In many respects that was true; Zayn  _was_ Liam's world. It was amazing how their chance meeting had turned into something so special.

 

***

 

Six years later, it was Valentine's Day. It was special, not only because it was a day to celebrate their love, but it was a celebration of the day they were brought together in the first place.

They were both strangely nervous that night. All through dinner at the restaurant they'd booked three months in advance, neither of them seemed at ease with the situation, which was odd, as they always made a point of going out on February 14th. However the meal passed without incident, and they walked home in the cool night air, hands entwined, swinging lightly in between them.

Unlocking the door, Liam entered the apartment first, followed by Zayn. His hands slid around his boyfriend's waist as he bolted the door again, and Zayn turned around in Liam's embrace, smiling.

'I love you, you know?' Liam said softly. His face was so close Zayn could feel his breath warm on his cheeks as he spoke.

'Of course I know that.' he replied. He dipped his head slightly, his lips ghosting along Liam's. When they finally met, as they had done so many times before in their relationship, the kiss was soft, and slow. Liam bit Zayn's lip, tugging on it with his teeth as he slipped his tongue inside, deepening the kiss.

After a few minutes Zayn pulled back, and Liam stepped away. Zayn took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do.

'Liam, I love you more than anything. You know that, don't you?'

Liam nodded silently, sensing that Zayn had more to say. He was right.

'I hope you do, because I would hate to think you didn't. When I say I love you, I mean I love everything about you. I love you unconditionally, you make me feel things I've never felt before, and at first it was scary.

You probably realised, but it takes me a long time to open up to people, and let them into my life, so when you let me into yours so easily I couldn’t help but wonder if I deserved it. I still don’t know what I did to deserve you. Part of me is still waiting for everything to shatter, and I'll be out on the street again with all my worldly possessions in a cardboard box.'

He stopped to breathe, and was so focused on his speech that he didn't notice Liam's eyes were shining.

'It's been six years Li, and fuck, I don’t know where they went. I just know that when I'm with you, everything feels right, like nothing can go wrong. I don’t stop often enough to realise how lucky I am to have you. So I'm taking a liberty here. It seems almost selfish, really, but I can't sit by any longer. I have to have you.'

By this point Zayn's shaking hand had slid into his pocket, and he dropped to the floor, kneeling on one knee,

'So I wanted to ask you Liam Payne, will you marry me?'

Zayn looked up at Liam, a box open in his hand showing off a silver engagement band. Liam's eyes shimmered slightly, and he couldn’t stop the single tear that rolled down his cheek.

'I don’t believe this.' he whispered, swallowing hard. He chuckled shakily, 'I honestly can't.'

Zayn frowned slightly, confused, but the smile Liam gave him chased his worries away. There was no denying the adoration that shone from his eyes, and Liam lowered himself to the ground, kneeling so he was level with Zayn. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a box almost identical to Zayn's.

'You beat me to it.' Liam said, opening it. Zayn gasped as Liam revealed the ring inside  _his_  box.

'Zayn, I don’t know what made me ask you to stay with me six years ago, but I just know, if circumstances were different, we would have found our way to each other anyway. You might laugh at my belief in fate sometimes, but I truly think we were meant to be together. We fit so perfectly. Even in the first few weeks of living together, I felt like I’d known you so much longer than that. You talk about not deserving me, but you don’t realise how special you are. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if I lost you, you mean the world to me and nothing can change that.

My intention, tonight, was to actually propose to you at the restaurant. But I wanted to do this somewhere meaningful. This is where it all began, this is where we first got to know each other, and this is where we've spent the past  _six_  years of our lives together. And I know our flat is small, and it isn’t always tidy, but it's  _ours._  It symbolises  _us_.

I can picture us spending the rest of our lives together. Maybe not here, but always with each other. I can see us having a family together, and that's a scary thought. I've been in relationships before, but none of them have lasted as long as this, I've never been with someone I could see a future with. I can see us settling down together, and being together for thirty, forty years, more than that. And what's more, I  _want_  to settle down with you. I want you to always be a part of my life.'

By now Zayn was on the verge of tears too, and Liam looked straight into his eyes,

'So in answer to your question, yes, of course I'll marry you. It shouldn’t even be a question. I will be yours forever, until you don’t want me any more. Even then, please know that you will always have a piece of my heart.'

Zayn couldn’t speak for fear that he'd start crying, or something silly like that, but he simply lifted the ring from his box and slid it onto Liam's finger. He admired how perfect it looked, fitting neatly and shining in the dim light. His face was lit up with a beautiful smile as Liam did the same, sliding his ring onto Zayn's finger. They linked their hands together, shocked into silence by the sheer significance of what they had both just agreed to.

Liam sniffed happily, shuffling closer to Zayn and pulling him into his grasp. He smashed their lips together, but neither could keep the smiles from their faces as they kissed, and eventually gave up. Zayn couldn’t help himself giggling softly, both from happiness and the relief that Liam had said yes. Liam joined in, and soon they were propping each other up, halfway between laughing and sobbing into each other's shoulders.

 

***

 

Six years before, Liam had found Zayn outside his apartment complex, clutching a cardboard box with a duffel slung over his shoulder. Six years before, he'd suggested the vulnerable, wide eyed boy should stay with him.

Liam still wasn’t a fan of spontaneity, but he was still glad he'd done it. Because now he had one of the best things in the world, and he wouldn't change it for anything


End file.
